Juaquin wandered out of the patch of forest behind our house in Canada\u2019s Yukon Territory, looking like a vagabond. He wore baggy pants, a crumpled shirt, and stringless runners. A large floppy hat covered his frizzy brown hair and half of his face.<\/p>\n
The boy\u2019s body was too small and his vocabulary too big for a four-year-old. I wanted to meet his mother.<\/p>\n
I saw her for the first time from my kitchen window. Dressed in blue jeans and flannel shirt, she was pulling a child\u2019s wagon loaded with groceries, laundry, and a baby. I could easily picture her living in the house up the hill. According to my boys\u2019 report, it was a two-room cabin with no running water or indoor plumbing. Its outhouse, woodpile, and small garden gave one the feeling of walking back in time.<\/p>\n
I knew the man of the house had been a trapper and wore his long hair in a ponytail. It wasn\u2019t hard for me to draw conclusions. They were probably the hippie type, I figured. Maybe not even married. No doubt poor \u2014 and unsociable.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One day as the young mother pulled her wagon past my window, I decided to get acquainted. Slipping off my apron, I hurried out the kitchen door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve wanted to get to know you,\u201d she told me after I introduced myself. \u201cI guess I didn\u2019t want to come in dressed like this. But then, I always look this way!\u201d<\/p>\n
I got to know Cherry better \u2014 and discovered I was all wrong. She was the town\u2019s head librarian and a young Christian. Her husband had given up trapping temporarily to earn a good salary at a sawmill. Their savings would help them live comfortably when he returned to the trap lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to get too many modern conveniences,\u201d Cherry once said with a chuckle. \u201cIt would spoil me for when we return to the bush.\u201d<\/p>\n
We became friends. She gave us lettuce and spinach from her garden, and we hooked up a hose from our house to hers so her family could have running water. Before they left to live in the Yukon wilderness, Cherry gave me her houseplants.<\/p>\n
I would have missed a wonderful friendship had I chosen to ignore the \u201chippies up the hill\u201d because of my first impressions!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s face it. Our initial impressions of someone can take on the form of instant judging. That\u2019s why Jesus warns us, \u201cJudge not, that ye be not judged\u201d (Matthew 7:1).<\/p>\n
Labeling is bad business spiritually, especially if our judgments are negative. We may actually be thinking lies. Sometimes these untruths will keep us from associating with certain people, causing us to miss opportunities to love them for Jesus\u2019 sake.<\/p>\n
We have a responsibility as Christ-followers to be gracious and accepting toward strangers and others we meet for the first time. I suggest the following:<\/p>\n
Give them the benefit of the doubt.<\/em> Paul admonishes Christians to fix their thoughts on what is true and good and right: \u201cIf there be any praise, think on these things\u201d (Philippians 4:8). How many people have you rejected because they seemed unfriendly or because of what they were wearing? And how many people have you accepted because they smiled at you or because they seemed your type?<\/p>\n Remember, think about what is true. It is virtually impossible to guess the truth at first glance \u2014 or during the first conversation.<\/p>\n Think about their positive qualities.<\/em> Many people sit on the sidelines because they have left poor impressions on others. I remember one young woman who sat by herself in church each week because she was too shy to make friends. I avoided her, since I knew I would have to initiate and carry most of the conversation. Eventually I invited her to go with me to a weekly prayer group.<\/p>\n At first I dreaded our little treks across town. But as we got better acquainted, it became easier to talk. She was soon sharing with me her ambitions and dreams. I\u2019m glad I made the effort to become her friend.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t gossip about first impressions.<\/em> I sat on the beach one summer watching my children play in the water and sand. Next to me sat a woman I had met briefly before. We both watched as an attractive blond gathered up her gear and called her children.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s a real snob,\u201d my companion commented. \u201cShe won\u2019t talk to me. I\u2019m sure she thinks she\u2019s better than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe she\u2019s shy,\u201d I offered. Although I tried to defend the blond, I never forgot the other woman\u2019s comments about her. Whenever someone mentioned that lady, I had a tendency to think of her as a snob.<\/p>\n The Bible teaches us to \u201cspeak every man truth with his neighbour\u201d (Ephesians 4:25). It\u2019s been said that more people have been ruined by rumors than by the truth.<\/p>\n Depend on the Spirit to guide your thoughts. <\/em>If you are a Christian, the Spirit of truth is dwelling in you (John 14:17). He can reveal things you may never discover without His help.<\/p>\n The poet J. G. Whittier once wrote, \u201cMan judges from a partial view.\u201d Only God knows the whole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Juaquin wandered out of the patch of forest behind our house in Canada\u2019s Yukon Territory, looking like a vagabond. He wore baggy pants, a crumpled shirt, and stringless runners. A large floppy hat covered his frizzy brown hair and half of his face. The boy\u2019s body was too small and his vocabulary too big for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":335,"featured_media":4050,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n